Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome

Floppy Kid Syndrome (FKS) is a common and serious disease in goats, with incidence rates ranging from 10 to 50% and mortality rates between 20 and 60%. This study aimed to investigate the etiology of FKS through blood biochemical analysis and metagenomic sequencing. Blood biochemical analysis reveal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cheng Cheng, Yan Zheng, Xin Wang, Jianping Tao, Darong Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1557951/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850232634847789056
author Cheng Cheng
Cheng Cheng
Yan Zheng
Xin Wang
Jianping Tao
Jianping Tao
Darong Cheng
author_facet Cheng Cheng
Cheng Cheng
Yan Zheng
Xin Wang
Jianping Tao
Jianping Tao
Darong Cheng
author_sort Cheng Cheng
collection DOAJ
description Floppy Kid Syndrome (FKS) is a common and serious disease in goats, with incidence rates ranging from 10 to 50% and mortality rates between 20 and 60%. This study aimed to investigate the etiology of FKS through blood biochemical analysis and metagenomic sequencing. Blood biochemical analysis revealed metabolic disorders in FKS-affected goats, including acidosis and hypoglycemia. Metagenomic analysis showed marked gastric and gut dysbacteriosis, characterized by an increase in pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, alongside a significant reduction in probiotic like Lactobacillus amylovorus. Furthermore, species diversity and richness were notably lower in FKS-affected goats compared to healthy goats. Based on these findings, we infer that FKS is a multifactorial disease caused by gastric and gut dysbacteriosis. The immaturity of the digestive system in newborn goats, combined with environmental stressors (such as sudden changes in weather), leads to gastric and gut dysbacteriosis, with a significant reduction in probiotic and an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. The dysbacteriosis, along with the inability to properly digest excessive milk intake, contributes to the accumulation of undigested milk in the digestive tract, creating an environment conducive to pathogenic bacteria growth. The fermentation of milk and the production of excessive lactic acid by pathogenic bacteria are absorbed into the bloodstream, causing acidosis and hypoglycemia. These metabolic disorders, in conjunction with the dysbacteriosis and systemic dysfunction, lead to the onset of FKS. These results underscore the critical role of gastric and gut dysbacteriosis in the pathogenesis of FKS, highlighting the need for targeted preventive and therapeutic strategies.
format Article
id doaj-art-1ca00a426a7b41ff8e620957aa67a6c9
institution OA Journals
issn 2297-1769
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Veterinary Science
spelling doaj-art-1ca00a426a7b41ff8e620957aa67a6c92025-08-20T02:03:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-03-011210.3389/fvets.2025.15579511557951Research in etiology of Floppy Kid SyndromeCheng Cheng0Cheng Cheng1Yan Zheng2Xin Wang3Jianping Tao4Jianping Tao5Darong Cheng6College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaJiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaJiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaFloppy Kid Syndrome (FKS) is a common and serious disease in goats, with incidence rates ranging from 10 to 50% and mortality rates between 20 and 60%. This study aimed to investigate the etiology of FKS through blood biochemical analysis and metagenomic sequencing. Blood biochemical analysis revealed metabolic disorders in FKS-affected goats, including acidosis and hypoglycemia. Metagenomic analysis showed marked gastric and gut dysbacteriosis, characterized by an increase in pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, alongside a significant reduction in probiotic like Lactobacillus amylovorus. Furthermore, species diversity and richness were notably lower in FKS-affected goats compared to healthy goats. Based on these findings, we infer that FKS is a multifactorial disease caused by gastric and gut dysbacteriosis. The immaturity of the digestive system in newborn goats, combined with environmental stressors (such as sudden changes in weather), leads to gastric and gut dysbacteriosis, with a significant reduction in probiotic and an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. The dysbacteriosis, along with the inability to properly digest excessive milk intake, contributes to the accumulation of undigested milk in the digestive tract, creating an environment conducive to pathogenic bacteria growth. The fermentation of milk and the production of excessive lactic acid by pathogenic bacteria are absorbed into the bloodstream, causing acidosis and hypoglycemia. These metabolic disorders, in conjunction with the dysbacteriosis and systemic dysfunction, lead to the onset of FKS. These results underscore the critical role of gastric and gut dysbacteriosis in the pathogenesis of FKS, highlighting the need for targeted preventive and therapeutic strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1557951/fullgoatFloppy Kid Syndromeetiologymetagenomicsmicrobiota
spellingShingle Cheng Cheng
Cheng Cheng
Yan Zheng
Xin Wang
Jianping Tao
Jianping Tao
Darong Cheng
Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
goat
Floppy Kid Syndrome
etiology
metagenomics
microbiota
title Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome
title_full Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome
title_fullStr Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome
title_full_unstemmed Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome
title_short Research in etiology of Floppy Kid Syndrome
title_sort research in etiology of floppy kid syndrome
topic goat
Floppy Kid Syndrome
etiology
metagenomics
microbiota
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1557951/full
work_keys_str_mv AT chengcheng researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome
AT chengcheng researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome
AT yanzheng researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome
AT xinwang researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome
AT jianpingtao researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome
AT jianpingtao researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome
AT darongcheng researchinetiologyoffloppykidsyndrome